Squeeze bottle with means for locating end of delivery tube

ABSTRACT

A squeeze bottle particularly useful for emitting a horizontal spray, the bottle being composed of a flexible plastic material and having a dispensing nozzle located in an off-center position adjacent one corner of the bottle enclosure, with a flexible delivery tube extending from the nozzle into the enclosure. Means are provided in the enclosure itself which guide the end of the delivery tube upon insertion into the enclosure to a position which is diagonally opposite to the corner of the enclosure in which the nozzle is located.

United States Patent Curet n 51 May 30, 1972 1 SQUEEZE BOTTLE WITH MEANS FOR 2,987.26! 6/196! McCuiston et al 139/327 x LOCATING END OF DELIVERY TUBE 852,828 5/1907 Dorment et al. l28/l 73 R X l,l85,649 6/l9l6 Fowler "128/250 [72] Inventor: Glen L. Cureton, Chattanooga, Tenn. 2996.247 10/1937 Home 222/21 x 73 Assignee: Chanel Drug & Chemlcal Company 2,796,294 6/] 957 McKinnon.... ..239/327 Chattanooga, Tenn.

Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Filed: l 1 1970 Assistant Examiner-John J. Love [21] APPL No: 31.580 Attorney-Hill, Sherman, Meroni, Gross & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT {2?} lkf'fi::JJJ:JJJJJIi:33::35:jjjjjjjjfiiiiii.1373333235 A eeeeeee eeeele eeeeieelee'y eeefe' fee e e [58] Field of Search 239/327, 128 73 1731 i732 spray, the bottle being composed ofa flexible plastic material [ZS/73.3. 250 206 208 222/506 and having a dispensing noule located in an off center position adjacent one corner of the bottle enclosure, with a flexible delivery tube extending from the nozzle into the enclosure. [56] References Cited Means are provided in the enclosure itself which guide the end of the delivery tube upon insertion into the enclosure to a UNITED STATES PATENTS position which is diagonally opposite to the corner of the enclosure in which the nozzle is located. 3,141,574 7/1964 Donoghue ..222/207 X 394,775 12/1888 Kneuper l Claim,6Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. Field of the Invention This invention is in the field of squeeze bottles for dispensing a horizontal spray particularly useful in spraying the throat. It provides a nozzle and delivery tube assembly located at opposite corners of the enclosure whereby a spray or mist can be discharged from the home, while automatically locating the end of the delivery tube to pick up substantially all of the contents of the bottle.

2. Description of the Prior Art Throat spray compositions must be dispensed as a fine mist at the affected area if they are to be effective. Some work has been done with aerosol throat spray containers, but these containers are too costly to permit the product to be in competition with other sore throat products such as drops and lozenges. While plastic squeeze bottles are inexpensive, conventional bottles of this type do not do a satisfactory job in spraying the throat. Squeeze bottles of the nasal spray type direct the spray straight up. If the container is tilted to the side to accommodate the horizontal mouth cavity, the liquid runs down the delivery tube and may gag the user or the contents are no longer in contact with the inlet end of the delivery tube. In addition, if the user attempts to spray the throat area by bending the head and neck down to accommodate a vertical or slightly tilted nasal spray container, the spray does not adequately reach the back of the throat which is the affected area.

Another structure which has been tried includes a plug or tip for a nasal spray bottle that directs the spray horizontally from an upright container. This system also is not satisfactory because the spray hits the inside of the lips and cheeks and the fore part of the tongue. This is often undesirable since many throat sprays contain a local anesthetic which then numbs the lips, cheeks or tongue. It is also difficult to direct the spray so that any of it reaches the back of the throat.

Pump spray dispensers used in conjunction with a plastic or glass bottle are still another alternative. These have the same disadvantage as the horizontal spray squeeze bottle in that the contents hit undesirable areas in the mouth. This system has the further disadvantage of high cost and the inability to provide the unit in a small size which is desirable from the standpoint of carrying the dispenser in the pocket or purse of the user.

There are some disclosures in the prior art of using guide surfaces to position a delivery tube in a dispenser, but not in the manner suggested by the present invention. Kharasch US. Pat. No. 3,244,331 describes an aerosol capsule which is so formed that the delivery tube is guided into a sump, thereby assuring that substantially all of the contents of the capsule will be dispensed. McDonnell US. Pat. No. 3,409,l81 discloses a bottle in which the bottom is provided with indentations or lands to guide the tube end into the central portion of the bottle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a plastic squeeze bottle par ticularly adapted for spraying the throat or other areas which require a substantially horizontal spray, and includes a plastic squeeze bottle which may be composed of the usual polyethylene or the like. The squeeze bottle may have a substantially rectangular cross section or a circular one, or any other suitable shape, but one of the features of the present invention is the location of the dispensing nozzle which heretofore has been placed on the longitudinal axis of the bottle to an off center position in which it is in proximity to an edge of the bottle. Extending into the nozzle is a flexible dis ensing tube. In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the wall or walls of the bottle which are adjacent the nozzle are so formed as to direct the opposite end of the flexible dispensing tube into a portion of the interior of the bottle where the inlet end of the tube is disposed substantially diagonally opposite to the edge adjacent which the nozzle is located. With this arrangement, a mist-type, non-dripping spray is provided in a horizontal direction when the bottle is squeezed, and the length of the delivery tube and its location assures that virtually all of the contents of the bottle will be dispensed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a squeeze bottle produced according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in cross-section of the bottle of FIG. I, with the cap removed;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bottle shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the position of the bottle during spraying;

FIG. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in cross-section of a somewhat modified form of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly in cross-section of a further modified fonn.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a squeeze bottle composed of polyethylene or similar type of flexible plastic material usable for this purpose. The particular bottle shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 has a generally rectangular crosssection. For purposes of convenience, the opposed walls 11 and 12 are referred to as end walls, the walls 13 and 14 are referred to as side walls, and the walls 15 and 16 are referred to as top and bottom, respectively.

The bottle 10 has a neck portion 17 which may be integral with the remainder of the receptacle or suitably secured thereto. The neck portion 17 has a threaded portion 18 which is arranged to receive a cap I9 in threaded engagement when the bottle is not in use. The neck 17 is also formed into a nozzle portion 20 containing a relatively small orifice for spraying the contents of the receptacle in a generally horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 4.

A flexible delivery tube 21 has one end tightly received within the nozzle portion 20. The opposite end 22 is positioned to be at the low point of the reservoir of liquid in the receptacle, as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

As best seen in FIGS. I, 2 and 4, the neck portion 17 is positioned off-center with respect to the longitudinal center of the receptacle so that when the squeeze bottle is turned to an angle of as illustrated in FIG. 4, no liquid will drip out through the nozzle opening.

It will also be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4 that the delivery tube 21 is made of sufficient length so that it extends down to the bottom of the reservoir. The positioning of the delivery tube 21 is accomplished by providing guide means within the receptacle itself. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. I to 4, this guide means is provided by shaping the end wall I2 and the base 16 so as to provide a serpentine inwardly extending bafi'le 23 upon insertion of the delivery tube 21 into the receptacle, the end 22 of the tube is guided by the arcuate surface provided by the baffle into a position in which it is substantially diagonally opposite the neck 17 of the bottle.

In use, the nozzle 20 is inserted part way into the mouth as illustrated in FIG. 4 and directed at the rear of the throat, the user maintaining a normal or slightly elevated position of the head during such use.

It should also be noted that the end wall 11 is sloped somewhat so that as the liquid in the bottle is used up, the last few drops are nevertheless in contact with the discharge end 22 ofthe tube 21.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIG. is somewhat different in that the bottle is rounded in cross-section but has a thickened bottom and side wall portion 31 almost directly beneath a neck portion 32 from which a nozzle 33 extends. A delivery tube 34 upon insertion into the receptacle is guided by the thickened bottom and end portion 31 into a position in the receptacle wherein it is substantially diagonally opposite to the neck 32. The thickened bottom and end portions may extend to the opposite side, or the curvature of the wall may be such that the end of the delivery tube 34 returns part way upward in the bottle.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, the receptacle includes end walls 36 and 37, a top wall 38 and a bottom wall 39. A neck portion 40 having a nozzle 41 extends from the top wall 38 adjacent the edge at which the top wall 38 and the end wall 37 intersect. In this embodiment of the invention, the end wall 37 and the bottom wall 39 are merged through an arcuate wall portion 42 which has a relatively short radius of curvature. Consequently, when the tube 43 is inserted in the receptacle, it follows the curvature of the wall portion 42 and is guided thereby so that the discharge end 44 of the tube is positioned at the lowest point of the liquid contents when the squeeze bottle is turned to its spraying position. End wall 36 need not be sloped. [f it is vertical, it provides a base for resting the bottle on a flat surface.

The improved squeeze bottles of the present invention thereby provide for a more efficient injection of the spray in a horizontal position, and utilize substantially all of the liquid material in the receptacle. While the invention has been described primarily in conjunction with its use as a throat spraying apparatus, it will be understood that the invention is also applicable to other types of uses where it is desired to project the substantially horizontal spray from a plastic squeeze bottle.

I claim as my invention:

1. A squeeze bottle adapted to emit a horizontal spray comprising a bottle composed of flexible material and having opposed side walls, top, bottom and end walls, a dispensing nozzle located in proximity to one corner of the resulting enclosure, and a flexible delivery tube extending from said nozzle into said enclosure, the end wall nearest said nozzle having a radius of curvature such that the end of said delivery tube is guided into a position where it is located in a corner which is diagonally opposite to the corner in which said nozzle is located.

t 4 i l 

1. A squeeze bottle adapted to emit a horizontal spray comprising a bottle composed of flexible material and having opposed side walls, top, bottom and end walls, a dispensing nozzle located in proximity to one corner of the resulting enclosure, and a flexible delivery tube extending from said nozzle into said enclosure, the end wall nearest said nozzle having a radius of curvature such that the end of said delivery tube is guided into a position where it is located in a corner which is diagonally opposite to the corner in which said nozzle is located. 